BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott graduate student and face-off specialist Sam Ozycz (Cheshire, Conn.) led a group of four Gulls men's lacrosse student-athletes who appeared on the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's annual Division III All-NEILA Preseason Team.
Ozycz, the top vote-getter his position, was named to the First Team along with Western New England defender Aaron Harris. Endicott and Western New England accounted for all nine CCC honorees on the All-NEILA Preseason Team.
Ozycz earned USILA All-American Honorable Mention honors at the end of the 2012 season after ranking 15th in face-off win percentage (0.655) and 14th in ground balls per game (8.1) in the final NCAA Division III rankings. The fifth-year player won 256-of-391 face-off attempts with 162 total ground balls on the season while contributing offensively with six goals, four assists, and 10 points. Ozycz also earned All-CCC Second Team as well as two CCC Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Endicott All-CCC First Team and ECAC DIII New England All-Star junior defender Breck Merritt (Weston, Mass.) started off his 2013 campaign with a All-NEILA Preseason Second Team award after posting 39 caused turnovers and 75 ground balls in 19 starts last season. Merritt led a Blue and Green defense that ranked fourth in the CCC in goals against average (8.34) and in caused turnovers per game (10.55).
The All-NEILA Preseason Honorable Mention Team saw Endicott's two final honorees, sophomore attacker Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) and sophomore midfielder Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.), earn recognition. Eight goals and seven assists, including three goals in the ECAC Tournament, and a CCC Rookie of the Week award, filled Pinciaro's freshman year resume while Cotter compiled 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists in his first season in the Blue and Green.
